James Purse of Cottown, Bangor

[Colinm]

Researching JAMES PURSE (1763-1849) and his wife SARAH (1769-1838) of COTTOWN, near BANGOR. Their daughter MARY PURSE (1810-1890) married DAVID MANSON. They lived in COTTOWN and their daughter JANE MANSON (1854-1926) married JAMES HAY of GRANSHA in 1875.  This couple’s daughter, AGNES HAY, married ALEXANDER MOORE of RASHEE, County Antrim in 1909.

[Christopher]

Hello ColinM

What denomination was James Purse?

You'll have to rely on Church records as civil registration in Ireland was not introduced until 1864. Non Catholic marriages were registered from 1845 onwards. When registration for BDMS started in 1864 some people didn't bother with the registration for a few years after that date. Keep your fingers crossed that church records still exist. 

Christopher

[gmarkdonald]

I am researching Hans Purse- buried 1877 Ballyhalbert Graveyard. Mark

[BallyaltikilliganG]

Christopher sadly died last year, he would have suggested you try freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/SURNAMES/P/PrPy.htm#pu

[billyb2559]

Colin,
  I too am trying to find out about the Purse family.  Sarah Purse, born about 1714, marryied David Boyd, b/ 1712.  Both are buried the the old Ballyhalbert cemetery.  I see that one of your family names you are researching id Hay.  Their were Boyd families that changed their name to Hay to avoid persecution from the English.  So keep that in mind.  I do not know the parents of Sarah.  Bangor and Ballyhalbert are only about 10 minutes apart from each other.  If you find any further information, please let me know.  Searching the Purse family around Ballyhalbert may be the way to go for you.

William Boyd

[BallyaltikilliganG]

Glastry is a townland in Inishargy civil parish, its 2km SW of Ballyhalbert.
Distances mentioned by billyb2559 Bangor to Ballyhalbert , some 15.8 miles on a modern road in 10 minutes, is not true, walking time 5 hours 11 minutes ,by horse a trot is 8mph,a jog 12mph, a gallop 25 mph would still take say 38 minutes if you arrived alive, however to do what google suggests 26 minutes by car so I hope you weren’t caught doing the 96 mph that takes 10 minutes. Now back to the serious bits of family history

All of you you have done very well to have gone so far back in your tree  you may know it all i amcant tell

just checking Purse, Boyd and Hay connections in Ballyhalbert and Glastry parish reveals         
in Ros Davies website http://www.rosdavies.com
Alexander PURSE . Inishargy of Kircubbin & Ballywalter ; died at sea 27 Sep 1872 aged 59; husband of Ann Askin; father of Hugh & Ann; graveyard MIs
Hance PURSE . Ballyhalbert will probated 1839; ..
Hance/Hanse PURSE . Newtownards of Newtownards; husband of Mary Beard ....
 Hans PURZE . Newtownards proprietor of commercial inn , The Spotted Cow...
Capt. Hugh PURSE . Ballywalter died 8 Mar 1922 aged 80; son of Alexander & Ann; buried Ballyhalbert graveyard MIs
William PURSE . Ballywalter died 6 Sep 1849 aged 64; husband of Elizabeth; father of Ellenor; buried Ballyhalbert graveyard MIs
William PURSE . Ballywalter possibly son of William Purse & Eleanor Askin of Ballywalter bur Ballyhalbert ; d 5 May 1904 aged 67; buried Whitechurch graveyard with possibly his siblings - Mary Purse (d. 23 feb 1890 aged 60) & Jane Purse (d. 23 Jan 1907 aged 79) & Anna Purse (d. 29 Apr 1913 aged 80) & Sarah McCartney (d. 21 Jul 1920 aged 85) MIs
Charles BOYD . Ballyhalbert of Glastry ; leased a house & 6 acres in 1863 from Robert Byers GV
David BOYD . Ballyhalbert left a will in 1808 IIW # 7350
David BOYD . Ballyhalbert leased land in 1818 & 1823 in Portavogie to James & William Adair FR
David BOYD . Ballyhalbert & Newtownards son of John Boyd; married Elizabeth Clint of Ballyhalbert 9 Jan 1875 at Newtownards Registry Office; father of Annie (married John Cooke & went to USA) CR; Lena McVea
Miss Elizabeth BOYDE . Ballyhalbert daughter of Samuel Boyde ; married William Boale McKee 29 Oct 1855 CR
John BOYD . Ballyhalbert of Glastry ; leased a house & 8 acres in 1863 from Alexander Filson GV
Thomas BOYDE Esq. Ballyhalbert proprietor of Portavogie townland in 1659 SP ie Census of Ireland 1659 Seamus Pender Dublin 1939
Charles BOYD . Ballyhalbert of Glastry ; leased a house & 6 acres in 1863 from Robert Byers GV
Charles BOYD . Inishargy & Witter of Glastry; father of John bpt. 21 Feb1830 at Ballygalget Catholic Church PR
David BOIDE . Inishargy of Glastry; listed on a Subsidy Roll of 1663 and liable to pay tax PRONI T307A
Henry BOYD . Inishargy & Witter of Glastry; married Margaret Connan 2 Oct 1864 at Ballygalget Catholic Church PR
Hugh BOYD . Inishargy of Glastry ; leased a house & 6 acres in 1863 from Robert Byers & next door 2 acres from Alexander Filson GV
John BOYD . Ballyhalbert of Glastry ; leased a house & 8 acres in 1863 from Alexander Filson GV
William BOYD . Inishargy married Ann Gowan 27 Mar 1771 at Glastry Presbyterian Church PR 

my reason for introducing anything containing Glastry is the existence of several Boyd manuscript trees by R Blackwood with 2 index items adding in Glastry
Boyd and Hay family trees exist but no Purse, in the Blackwood Family History manuscript trees Collection in the LinenHall library, Belfast. Visit if you can give them warning helps, if you cant then I suggest you write to them  carefully asking them for photocopying estimates and be prepared to pay for copying, post and packing Their address is The Linen Hall Library,17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT15GB, Northern Ireland, see their website for contact details or use Email:info@linenhall.com.
The volume references are
➢ BOYD   Volumes 4p54, 6p54 Glastry, 10p93, 11N, 17 Glastry, 20, 91 [20 mightbe?]
➢ HAY  38p2, 92
➢ HAY(s)  2N
Sadly be warned a recent person 2019 taking my advice and also wishing to give a further donation was guided off to professional family history researcher. yes good for later perhaps ,  but see the trees first is my strong advice.  Over the whole collection each tree is on average less than 6 pages x 7 volumes=say hopefully 50 pages max

Tithe appotment books in PRONI see irish Genealogy Hub
Purse, Hans-Townland: Ballygin Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down
Purse, Hugh-Townland: Whitechurch Year: 1834-Ballywalter-Down
Purse, Widow Townland: Ballywalter Year: 1834-Ballywalter-Down
Purse, Willm.-Townland: Ballywalter Year: 1834-Ballywalter-Down
Purse, Wm.-Townland: Springvale Year: 1834-Ballywalter-Down
Purser, Willm.-Townland: Ballywalter Year: 1834-Ballywalter-Down
Boyd, Margaret-Townland: Ballyfrench Year: 1834-Ballyhalbert-Down
Boyd, Chas.-Townland: Glastry Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down
Boyd, Jas.-Townland: Glastry Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down
Boyd, Jas.-Townland: Glastry Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down
Boyd, Jas.-Townland: Innishargie Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down
Boyd, Widow Townland: Glastry Year: 1834-Inishargy-Down

Genes Reunited disappointing for Purse in Ireland    entries marked Ireland and NI   boyd has 2 entries  marked Ballyhalbert   
good luck onwards

[billyb2559]

BallyaltikilliganG,
Thank you for all that information.  I stand corrected by the distance between Bangor and Ballyhalbert, I was going by memory, and that is not ofter good for me any more.  But I was only trying to point out that Purse family did live in the Ballyhalbert parish area, and may have migrated to or from Bangor area.  Being County down is not that large, families did branch out in that area.  I did attach a link to a photo of Susanna Purse headstone.  She died in 1754 at age of 39 giving her a birth year of about 1715.  David Boyd was born about 1712.  Her headstone is in the same plot of Boyd graves in the old Ballyhalbert cemetery.  These Boyds were of Rowreagh, which is next to Glastry.

 - David Boyd, b 1712, d 24 May 1798
- Susanna Purse, wife of David Boyd, b 1715, d 26 June 1754
- Nathaniel Boyd
- Jane Boyd
- Susanna Boyd]

I will be visiting Ireland for my first time this July and will be in that cemetery mapping and listing all Boyd and family headstones.  If I can help in your Glastry search for Boyd families, just ask.  I see that one of your above sources to David Boyd of Ballyhalbert & Newtownlands was Lena McVea.  She has been part of our research team for the last several years.  We do have some family structure of the family of Col. David Boyd of Glastry.  Folowing family silver plate handed down to a couple of generation has helped us to identify and organize some of that family.  Our Rowreagh Boyds may be related to these Boyds as well, we are very very close, that is why I will be searching that cemetery for more clues.  Again, thank you for all the information you posted, I will relay that info to our research team.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm#label/Receipts?projector=1

[watchmaker21]

Hi

My interest is in clock and watchmakers.  There are references to clocks seen signed "Hans Purse" at both Newtownards and Hillsborough.  However, despite research, I cannot trace a Hans Purse at either town.  The styles of the clocks would suggest Hillsborough about 1800 and Newtownards in 1820

What I have turned up is a reference to a Hamilton Purse, watch and clockmaker.  He was in Hillsborough in 1809.  He was then arrested in Carrickfergus in January 1814 on a charge of stealing door knockers (presumably to get the brass).

At his first Court appearance he admitted the charge. He stated he had formerly carried on the same offence in Holywood whilst he worked there, but had since then left Holywood and taken up residence in Belfast. He pleaded the ‘necessities of a young and numerous family … and fervently prayed to be sent aboard the tender rather than be brought to trial. The Sovereign (mayor) had determined to send him to trail as a public example … but in consideration of his wife and family, of the confessions he had made, and of the contrition evidenced … consented to send him to the tender’.

Is Hans Purse and Hamilton Purse the same person?

Can anyone shed anymore light on either Hans or Hamilton Purse as watch and clockmakers.

Thanks